Spiel des Jahres

[Brel]

SPIEL DES JAHRES

The Spiel des Jahres (German for Game of the Year) is a prestigious award for board and card games.

The award was created in 1978 to reward excellence in game design, and to promote top-quality games in the German market. It is thought that the existence and popularity of the award is one of the major drivers of the quality of games coming out of Germany. A Spiel des Jahres nomination can increase the typical sales of a game from 500-3000 copies to around 10,000; and the winner can usually expect to sell 300,000 to 500,000 copies.

Wikipedia entry can be found here.

Visit Official Website

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The nominations for the 2007 award were released on 20 May, 2007. The five games nominated were:

• The Thief of Baghdad - Thorsten Gimmler, Queen Games
• Zooloretto - Michael Schacht, Abacus Spiele
• Jenseits von Theben - Peter Prinz, Queen Games
• Arkadia - Rüdiger Dorn, Ravensburger
• Yspahan - Sébastien Pauchon, Ystari Games

Zooloretto was announced as winner on 25 June, 2007.

The Spiel des Jahres 2007 Juries: Stefan Ducksch, Bernhard Löhlein, Chris Mewes, Dorothee Heß, Tom Werneck, Dr. Synes Ernst, Tom Felber, Iris Treiber, Birgit Nößler, Wieland Herold.

[Brel]

The nominations for the 2008 award were released on 25 May, 2008. The five games nominated were:

Stone Age - Michael Tummelhofer, Hans im Glück


Keltis - Reiner Knizia, Kosmos


Witch's Brew - Andreas Pelikan, alea/Ravensburger


Blox - Wolfgang Kramer, Jürgen P.K. Grunau, Hans Raggan, Ravensburger


Suleika - Dominique Ehrhard, Zoch Spiele


Along with the nominations, the jury also awarded a special prize:

Best complex game:

Agricola - Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games

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Spiel des Jahres 2009 Winners/Nominations

The first five...

Fits
Reiner Knizia, Ravensburger


Dominion
Donald X. Vaccarino, Hans im Glück


Finca
Ralf zur Linde, Wolfgang Sentker, Hans im Glück


Fauna
Friedemann Friese, HUCH & Friends


Pandemic
Matt Leacock, Pegasus


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Dominion was announced as winner on 29 June 2009

[maskmanjoe]

glad to see a Friese title in there, I'll go check out Fauna

[Brel]

The juries for Germany’s Spiel des Jahres and Kinderspiel des Jahres – the game and children’s game of the year – have announced the nominees for the 2010 awards.  For the Spiel des Jahres, the nominees are:

• A la Carte, by Karl-Heinz Schmiel (Moskito/Heidelberger)
• Dixit, by Jean-Louis Roubira (Libellud)
• Fresko, by Marco Ruskowski and Marcel Süßelbeck (Queen Games)
• Identik, by William P. Jacobson and Amanda A. Kohout (Asmodee)
• Im Wandel der Zeiten – Das Würfelspiel, by Matt Leacock (Pegasus Spiele) – which is published in the U.S. as Roll Through the Ages, by FRED Distribution

I don’t think anyone imagined this list of titles being the handful of nominees coming out of the jury as it contains two party games (Dixit and Identik) along with a light dexterity game (A la Carte), but perhaps the choices aren’t so surprising after all. Identik, a new version of the previously published game Portrayal, won the As d’Or – France’s game of the year award – earlier in 2010, and Dixit has received multiple nominations and awards, including the Jeugo del Año, Spain’s game of the year award. A la Carte, for its part, has huge eye candy appeal thanks to the tiny stoves, spices, and frying pans.

In addition to the nominees above, the jury released an award for what it calls “Spiel des Jahres plus” for Die Tore der Welt (World Without End), from Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler (Kosmos). In previous years the jury has sometimes issued special awards for titles that it felt deserved the attention, despite them being more complicated than normal for the average game-playing family – Uwe Rosenberg’s Agricola being one example – but the new title and special logo suggests that this award might be a constant each year.

The Spiel des Jahres jury also released a list of recommended games at the same time that it reveals the SdJ nominees, and those games are:

• Don Quixote, by Reinhard Staupe (Pegasus Spiele)
• Hansa Teutonica, by Andreas Steding (Argentum)
• Jäger und Sammler, by Reiner Knizia (Amigo)
• Jaipur, by Sébastien Pauchon (GameWorks)
• Kamisado, by Peter Burley (Huch! & friends)
• Level X, by Stefan Risthaus (Schmidt Spiele)
• Magister Navis, by Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray (Lookout Games) – published in the U.S. as Endeavor from Z-Man Games
• Mosaix, by Christof Tisch (Schmidt Spiele)
• Samarkand, by David V.H. Peters and Harry Wu (Queen Games)
• Tobago, by Bruce Allen (Zoch)

In the Kinderspiel des Jahres category, the nominees for 2010 are:

• Diego Drachenzahn, by Manfred Ludwig (HABA)
• Kraken-Alarm, by Oliver Igelhaut (Kosmos)
• Panic Tower!, by Andrew Lawson and Jack Lawson (Goliath)
• Turi-Tour, by Alessandro Zucchini (Selecta)
• Vampire der Nacht, by Kirsten Becker and Jens-Peter Schliemann (Drei Magier Spiele)

And the jury for the KdJ also releases a list of recommended games; those titles are:

• Ab auf die Wippe, by Anja Dreier-Brückner (Die Spiegelburg Coppenrath)
• Combino, by Angelika Lange and Jürgen Lange (Beleduc)
• Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt, by Kai Haferkamp (Schmidt Spiele)
• Gackerei ums Hühnerei, by BD 2005/Random Games (Kosmos)
• Inspektor Hase, by Heinz Meister (HABA)
• Mausegeflippt, by Chislaine van den Bulk (Zoch)
• Mein Mäuschen-Farbspiel, by Thomas Daum and Violetta Leitner (Ravenburger)
• Razzo Raketo, by Steffan Bogen (Selecta)
• Schatz der Mumie, by Marco Teubner (HABA)
• Shaun das Schaf – Echt Schafl, by Matthias Prinz (Kosmos)

The winner of the 2010 Spiel des Jahres will be announced on June 28, 2010, while the Kinderspiel – previously announced at the same time as the SdJ – will be awarded on August 2. Congrats to all the nominees!

~ By W. Eric Martin

Source: boardgamenews.com

[maskmanjoe]

So it seems there is a reason for all the attention Dixit is getting over at Hobbymania But it is quite the fun party game indeed.

[Brel]

So it seems there is a reason for all the attention Dixit is getting over at Hobbymania But it is quite the fun party game indeed.

I totally agree!  All of my sources and most online shops that I find carrying Dixit are now out-of-stock!   I'm also interested with "A La Carte" and "Fresco" so I can still probably enjoy playing those games next month.

[JayMata]

Let's all thank Gerald (from whom I got Dixit from) for having the future-sight to realize that this is a game to get way back when it 1st came out  

[Brel]

Let's all thank Gerald (from whom I got Dixit from) for having the future-sight to realize that this is a game to get way back when it 1st came out  

My sources informed me before about this game being a hit in their respective countries but at that time I didn't care as I was "on-leave".  hahaha 

Thanks to Gerald, Jay, and Aerolb for giving me the chance to try the game out!  It is unique and a real party treat! 

[Talismanic (Mark)]

Go Dixit Go!